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How come kites are supplied with such heavy lines?Ive been running 55ftx20lb p pro on my Hypnotist and i always check my knots, joins and sleeves, they are perfect every time but i always have a concern in the back of my pea-brain that somethings gonna give.The performance gains are as expected so i am wondering does anyone else use lighter lines and can i expect some sort of disaster other than having to make up a new set eventually or they may last as long as the heavy lines provided?One little hassle i have ,once in a while(you wouldnt believe how often) is it gets a easily tangled around logs n picks up crap on the beach,dry seaweed,small sticks seem to love clinging on to it.I am going to try a 30ftx10lb for my Ultralite as the 20lb set was intended for it anyway but its so good on my other kites i will go even lighter on it!PS:Great forum. ive got most of my tips and ideas from this place and i just love the kite snob battles over cottage vs industrial popouts. Beautiful.

The Hypnotist has a pretty strong pull so you must have been flying in light winds or been very lucky! Personally I wouldn't use less than 90# on something like that, if you break a line and go into a 'death spiral' you could easily break something expensive. That goes double if you are using 30' lines as, if you get a sudden gust, you won't have enough time to react before you hit the ground. The lightest lines I use are 50# on my HQ Shadow.

Another thing.... The better quality lines aren't so "fluffy." They will feel lighter (even the heavy ones) because the wind drag isn't there. Too, they won't catch all the debris like your lines. The braiding is very tight/smooth.

The lines that come with RTF kites - even the dyneema linesets- tend to be basic quality. They are OK, but a set of quality lines - Spectra, Shanti, Climax,LPG etc - will still be a big step up. Well worth the extra cost. I've had my oldest Climax set for several seasons now, I've only needed to adjust it twice ( by about 1/2") and while it has faded it still hasn't gone fluffy and has loads of life in it yet.

Whoops?I had the perfect Sunday today,half shift at hospital,super low tide this afternoon,perfect sunshine,holiday makers went home to Sydney and brisbane today leaving my 11km beach empty so i saw my power window was open.Connected my new found "LITE-LINES" to my Hypnotist and POP goes the right line on my first snapstall %^@#!.lucky i had my original set in my bag as i nearly forgot it in my hasty,GottaGo before my wife decides shes coming with me and escape lifes reality plan and just took Hypno with the new GREAT lines but it was to perfect for just one kite.It was a warm 10-25km breeze off the sea. on arrival home after flying till dark (it really was good),i inspected the break (Magnifiying glass)which looked like a ground snag cut,as it wasnt so much a fray as it was more clean-cut-ish.My wife who does most of the online buying also advised me that the line she ordered was not 20lb but was 20kg. But after flying with 20kg and then putting on the 150lb you really do notice the performance lost to the heavier lines.I really thought i was on to something but i was brought back down to earth and luckily it was at the edge of the window as i was let down gently with no known ill effects other than looking like a complete Knob in my first post on this great forum,thanks for your unheeded tips and warnings and remember this "Always read the label,follow the instructions and put your glasses on you old Fossil"Sorry and thanks.FactsThe Hypnotists supplied line is 150lb spectra.The line was broken at roughly the halfway mark,from what looked like ground snag damage.I made it from cheap Chinese fishing Spectra/Dyneema with an Climax Sleeve Set on the business ends.I am a total Gumby.I should have a pair of bifocals on at all times.

RTF kites tend to have heavier "STARTER" lines. If RTF had "LIGHT" lines then:If you pop "LIGHT" lines you throw the kite in the trash and never buy another kite or complain about the kite maker.If you don't pop heavier "STARTER" lines you keep flying.If you keep flying you have more fun and buy more kites.If you buy more kites, the kite maker makes more money.If the kite maker makes more money, he designs more kites for you to buy.If the kite makers use heavier lines the kite maker wins and you learn to fly. You can't fly a kite that's in a trash can.

I always use Shanti or Climax lines,I have around 10 sets of each at different lengths and are always cleaned and dried after use. so far they have lasted around eight years and I fly at least three times a week. I have also waterproofed them using tent proofer Fabcil seems to help keep them in good condition.

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